Radio’s shock jock kings reopen lines of communication with Scott Morrison

Alan Jones and Ray Hadley confirm they have re-established contact with Scott Morrison as Jones admits what role he played in last week’s spill.

Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Scott Morrison.

The country’s two most powerful radio personalities, Alan Jones and Ray Hadley, have confirmed they have both re-established contact with Scott Morrison since his elevation to the country’s top job on Friday.

Jones told The Australian yesterday that he had “communicated” with the Prime Minister following last week’s events, while Hadley confirmed he had “exchanged texts over the weekend” with Mr Morrison.

Hadley’s resumption of contact comes 16 months after he banned the then-federal treasurer from his show, saying at the time he had “become boring” and “doesn’t say anything”.

Yesterday, Hadley said: “The Prime Minister and I have exchanged texts over the weekend about a number of issues. They’ve been sent with courtesy, and the replies have come back in the same vein.”

Jones said of his interaction with Mr Morrison: “We’ve communicated. He was on his way to (the drought-affected western Queensland town of) Quilpie, and we’ll be talking in the days ahead.”

Jones appeared to strike a conciliatory tone: “Scott Morrison deserves a clean slate until he dirties it. My view is … he’s a new Prime Minister and deserves the respect that goes with that status.”

Appearing on the ABC’s 7.30 last night, Jones admitted he contacted two MPs to promote change within the Liberal Party during the leadership spill.

“I contacted certain MPs, yes,” he said. “And encouraged them to recognise that if they wanted to go, Australia wanted to go the same way, there had to be change.

“I didn’t turn against Turnbull, but I turned against the (energy) policy.”

Mr Jones told the ABC he spoke to John Alexander, but would not name the other MP.

“I contacted JA and said this is critical stuff, you’ve really got to think about this, the party’s got to change direction,” he said.

The 2GB host said he supported Mr Turnbull at the last federal election, but the “writing was on the wall” for the Liberals. “I tried to help Malcolm Turnbull at the last election because I thought it was a better option than the then Labor Party,” he said. “It is Australia that matters here ... when people can’t afford electricity, for goodness sake.”

Broadcaster @AlanJones tells #abc730 he privately contacted two MPs during the leadership crisis. More tonight. #auspol @geoff__thompson pic.twitter.com/Zu2V3YOpWB

— abc730 (@abc730) August 27, 2018

During an interview with former prime minister Tony Abbott on his show yesterday, Hadley spoke positively about an offer by Mr Morrison to make Mr Abbott an indigenous affairs envoy following the departure of former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Towards the end of his show on Sydney’s 2GB and Brisbane’s 4BC yesterday, Hadley gave brief details of one of his text message exchanges at the weekend with Mr Morrison about the offer.

“I texted the Prime Minister and said, ‘Is it a fair dinkum job offer?’ He replied, ‘Yes it is a fair dinkum job offer’.

“So I conveyed that to Mr ­Abbott, as most good broadcasters would do.”

While it is early days in the Morrison prime ministership, the two personalities’ stances appears to mark a prospective improvement in their relations with the country’s leader.

Their relations with Mr Turnbull were openly frosty, with the departed prime minister refusing to appear on either of their programs, and Jones and Hadley both making no secret of their disaffection with his performance as the nation’s leader.

Hadley said to Mr Abbott in an interview about the job offer: “I think it’s an olive branch, in fact I know it is, it’s a sign of respect, and we can all repair bridges, me ­included.”

Earlier, during the introductory segment of his show, Hadley said he believed Mr Morrison’s job offer to Mr Abbott was genuine: “I know it’s not just some sort of ­tokenism from the Prime Minister.

“I think he wants to mend the bridges with Tony Abbott, and I hope that happens, and I hope like hell that Tony Abbott comes back inside the tent, because he’s a man who can do a lot for indigenous Australians. He’s got a lot to offer.”

Hadley did not indicate during his show whether the text exchanges at the weekend would result in Mr Morrison making an appearance on the program.

Jones also stopped short of saying whether Morrison would ­appear on his program in the near future, saying that the dialogue ­between the pair would start off-air: “When the opportunity arises, I’ll be talking to him.”